Whiteman Family Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 87-4098170 · since 2024wanabrandsfoundation.org·California, Colorado, Maryland, United States·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$4.5M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,500 to $100k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$10,000

Typical grant (median)

130 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

Because the foundation works by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, a small charity should not send it a cold proposal and should instead look for a warm introduction or another route to an invitation.
If the work sits within basic needs, mental health, environment, or access and opportunity, and the organisation can show capacity building alongside a balance of immediate responses and long-term change, it matches what the foundation says it values.
About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $2,500 and $100,000, with a median of $10,000, so a request in that typical band is a sensible starting point, though its largest grant was $400,000.
The filing shows that 63% of grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in an earlier filing, so the process appears relationship-led and existing ties carry weight, while no geographic focus is stated, so location alone is not a bar.
When preparing, be clear about the organisation's budget and resource allocation, which the foundation seeks, although it does not require audited financials.

Overview

Whiteman Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Boulder, CO.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Whiteman Family Foundation supports non-profit partners across the country through four areas of impact: basic needs, mental health, environment, and access and opportunity. Its basic-needs work includes access to essentials and rapid responses to emergencies. In mental health, it supports research, affordable and accessible care, and services for day-to-day wellbeing. Its environmental work backs community-driven climate solutions, environmental justice, food-waste recovery, and ecological resilience. Under access and opportunity, it supports efforts to challenge systemic barriers, expand opportunity, and amplify underrepresented voices, particularly through racial justice, LGBTQ+ protections, gender equity, and community-led advocacy. Its approach is rooted in intersectionality, innovation and capacity building, balancing immediate needs with long-term solutions and fostering trust-based partnerships.

Themes

Basic needs
Mental health
Environment
Access & Opportunity

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Colorado, Maryland, California and the United States.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 63% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 235 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

It prioritises organisations that address specific issues while understanding how challenges affecting marginalised communities are interconnected.
It values organisations that incorporate capacity building into their programmes.
It prioritises organisations able to balance immediate responses with long-term change.
It seeks a clear understanding of an organisation’s budget and resource allocation, without requiring audited financials.
It values open communication and understanding the broader context of an organisation’s work, rather than focusing solely on audited financials.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Colorado46%

Maryland19%

California6%

Michigan3%

Oklahoma3%

Montana3%

6 other states: 13%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 7%

The largest single recipient received 16% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 63% of grant dollars went to organisations Whiteman Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
4% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

130 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $10,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 130 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k3%

$2.5k–$5k18%

$5k–$10k15%

$10k–$25k31%

$25k–$50k11%

$50k–$100k9%

$100k–$250k12%

$250k–$500k1%

Median $10,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Johns Hopkins University · To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of cannabis and cannabinoid research
$400,0002024 tax year
Oasis Fresh Foundation · General Operating
$200,0002024 tax year
Johns Hopkins University · To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of psychedelic research
$200,0002024 tax year
4MyCiTy · General Operating
$200,0002024 tax year
CCD Foundation · Scholarships, Belonging, Leadership and Support Services
$200,0002024 tax year
One Colorado Education Fund · General Operating
$150,0002024 tax year
Out Boulder County · General Operating
$150,0002024 tax year
Loveland Foundation · General Operating
$150,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Nancy Whiteman — Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2023 tax year	$3,008,022	$2,779,670	$52,543,776	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$5,010,673	$4,509,075	$55,694,963	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.